After Rebirth and Done Chasing, I Choose the Gentle and Rich Goddess Over the Scheming Campus Belle - Chapter 2:

Chapter 2: She Was Just as Beautiful Five Years Ago

What else could He Li be up to? 

Wu Gang scratched his head but couldn’t figure it out.

He Li ran his fingers through his hair and said, “Getting a haircut. My mom told me to go a few days ago, but I didn’t. Now that I’ve got the time, might as well get it done.”

He used to spend all his time with Liu Yuyan, not wanting to miss a moment by her side, so he always delayed his own things. But now, he had decided to let go of Liu Yuyan and return to being himself.

Yeah, might as well start with a new look.

With that, he strode off quickly. 

Hearing this, Wu Gang finally let out a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn’t going after Liu Yuyan, anything else was fine.

Once they split up, He Li picked a random barber shop on his way home and went in. The moment the young woman barber saw a customer enter, her eyes lit up and she hurried forward with enthusiasm, “Hey there, handsome! What kind of cut do you want today?”

“Shorter on the sides…” He Li gestured simply, then took off his glasses without thinking. But the moment he did, he suddenly realized—he could see clearly without them?

His vision had returned? 

What was going on?

Could this be a side effect of being reborn?

Surprised and delighted, He Li blinked in disbelief. Behind him, the stylist who was just about to begin cutting his hair also froze—his looks with glasses were already a solid 7 or 8, but without them, he was a full-on 9 out of 10!

Staring at the mirror, the girl couldn’t help but daze at the sharp-browed, starry-eyed young man in front of her. She was stunned for a few seconds, not coming back to her senses until He Li tilted his head in confusion.

Realizing she was being watched, the stylist quickly recovered and blushed hard, muttering to herself, “Gosh, this guy is dangerously handsome!”

Her heart was racing now.

When He Li’s haircut was done and he stood up, his entire aura had changed. Tall and broad-shouldered, with a freshly trimmed hairstyle and a firm, handsome face, plus that 1.8-meter frame—he looked like he walked straight out of a movie.

The stylist couldn’t take her eyes off him.

“How much?” He Li asked.

The stylist snapped out of it, her cheeks flushed. Staring intently at him, she said, “It’s free. But… could you let me take a couple of pictures for our poster?”

Free? He Li was a little surprised but nodded right away. Who wouldn’t be happy to get something for free?

Hearing that, the stylist beamed with excitement and quickly whipped out her camera to snap away. Her burning gaze made He Li feel a little uneasy. Once the pictures were taken, he didn’t dare linger and left quickly.

Walking down the street, his new look was turning heads everywhere.

Girls all around were stealing glances.

“Wow, who is that hottie? What school is he from?”

“Hehe, sis, go ask for his QQ!”

“Wait… that guy looks kinda like He Li?”

“Damn, it really is him. He looks this good after a haircut?”

“I heard Liu Yuyan rejected him. Is she blind or what?”

…

Under the heat of those stares and frequent requests for contact info, He Li dashed home. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw his mother, Yun Zhen, giving him a look.

And she seemed a little stunned.

“This rascal… how’d a haircut make him look like a totally different person?”

She mumbled suspiciously to herself.

Following her gaze, He Li turned toward the couch—and only then noticed the girl sitting there. She looked so familiar, yet especially beautiful.

“He Li~” she greeted with a cheerful smile.

“Xiaoyu…” He Li murmured.

His gaze locked onto the girl’s face. 

Her eyes still sparkled like starlight, her soft pink cheeks framed by delicate arched brows, a dainty nose and rosy lips slightly curved into a smile. Though she wasn’t yet as mature as she would be in five years, she was still incredibly lovely—like a little fairy descended from the heavens. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“There’s someone better right in front of me… and yet in my last life I chose Liu Yuyan?”

“In terms of family background, Liu Yuyan’s was just ordinary. But Miao Xiaoyu… she was the richest girl in all of Shuzhou.”

“It’s just that she was low-key and not many knew.”

“In terms of looks, once the illusion of favoritism is gone, Liu Yuyan wasn’t even close to Miao Xiaoyu!”

“How did I ever pick Liu Yuyan in my past life?”

He Li stared at her, full of self-doubt.

Scenes from his past life flashed through his mind. He had first met Miao Xiaoyu two years ago. That day, she had run away from home after a fight with her family and ended up getting chased around by two stray dogs. Fortunately, He Li happened to be there and drove the dogs away, saving her.

After hearing her story, he patiently comforted her and eased her frustration, then escorted her back home. 

From then on, they started to get familiar with each other.

Maybe it was from that moment on… Miao Xiaoyu had begun to like him.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have transferred to Yecheng High School.

She even started coming to chat with him regularly.

If He Li hadn’t been so fixated on Liu Yuyan in his past life, he might have noticed her feelings long ago.

Thankfully, he had another chance in this life.

And this time, he wouldn’t miss it.

With his thoughts settled, He Li stepped forward confidently.

Behind him, his mother, Yun Zhen, reminded, “Li, Xiaoyu came all the way here just to ask you something. She’s been waiting half the day already. Take her to your room so you can talk properly.”

“Got it, Mom!” He Li replied, then leaned closer to Miao Xiaoyu and whispered, “Ask me something? I don’t buy it.”

“Hehe!” Miao Xiaoyu grinned, “I heard you got rejected by Liu Yuyan again, so I came to cheer you up.”

She looked at He Li’s refreshed and handsome face and couldn’t help but blush. He Li was even more attractive than usual today—her heart skipped a beat.

She said playfully, “If you’d cleaned up like this earlier and gotten a haircut before confessing to Liu Yuyan, maybe you would’ve succeeded.”

“No need,” He Li shook his head. “Her rejection is a good thing. Now I can finally give up and focus on other things.”

“You’re not upset?” Miao Xiaoyu was surprised. “Every time she rejected you before, you were always—”

“That was before,” He Li said calmly. “From now on, I won’t be heartbroken over her again.”

Though he spoke lightly, his tone was firm. 

Miao Xiaoyu’s beautiful eyes lit up, as if seeing a glimmer of hope—the hope of finally pulling the He Li she loved away from Liu Yuyan.

She had secretly liked He Li for a long time.

That boy who had stepped up to protect her…

The one who always ranked first in school, who always won every sports event…

That kind, loyal boy.

But back then, his eyes were only on Liu Yuyan.

Miao Xiaoyu had felt like she didn’t stand a chance.

But now, He Li seemed to be waking up. He had finally let go of the girl who kept stringing him along no matter how much he gave. Maybe now, Miao Xiaoyu had her chance.

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. Her pink cheeks flushed slightly. She started wondering what she could do—maybe she should treat He Li the same way he once treated Liu Yuyan?

Like making breakfast for him with love, celebrating his birthday, making him laugh…

With those thoughts, Miao Xiaoyu began to form a plan.

She casually fished for information, asking He Li what kind of breakfast he liked, then quietly got ready to leave.

She wanted to head home early and prepare it for him!

She was already imagining how surprised he would be tomorrow morning when he received the breakfast she made by hand.

But He Li’s mom became a little suspicious when she saw Miao Xiaoyu come out so soon.

“Li, you didn’t bully that girl, did you?” she glared at He Li. He shrugged, “Would your son ever do that?”

“Tsk, I was going to invite her to stay for dinner…” she grumbled. “You little brat, go walk her out at least!”

“Alright, alright!” He Li grinned and hurried after her, catching up just as she reached the gate. Coincidentally, Liu Yuyan and her two besties arrived at the gate at the same time…